Journal 2
The Wild Westside
We started our class today by leaving Penn Station on foot. We walked to Broadway, where I could see the very popular pedestrian zone created by the city. One side of the street was permanently closed. A natural boundary of huge potted plants was lined up along the middle of the street, giving the illusion of a separate area. Tables and chairs are set up throughout the area. I saw many people sitting and lounging, walking and shopping. Apparently this pedestrian zone has increased the economics of the surrounding shops, although drivers are not happy about it. I was impressed to see little farmers markets and vendors selling goods along the road. At 42nd Street we arrive at the “new” Times Square. Times Square used to be a popular center for theater and entertainment in the 1940s and 50s, but by the late 1960s and early 1970s it had become a cesspool for crime, drugs, prostitution, and pornography (Blue Guide, P.218). When Mayor Giuliani came into office, one of his goals was to revamp Times Square. The area was cleaned up and turned once again into a family type entertainment area where any tourist or visitor would feel perfectly at home. Approximately 20 million tourists visit annually (Blue Guide, P.218). Some people think it is more a place for tourists than New Yorkers. Continuing down the street, I saw an example of Privately Owned Public Space. We learned how builders can build higher if they incorporate public space into there designs. The building we saw had a little courtyard area with a wall waterfall and greenery, tables and chairs open to the public. It was very peaceful and inviting.
We quickly passed by Radio City Music Hall, where I have lots of fun memories. We walked through the G.E. Building, home of NBC Studios, Rockefeller Center building. It was the first building built at Rockefeller Center and originally was the RCA Building (Blue Guide, P.248). The style was from 1933 and Art Deco. This was very obvious from the murals and architecture in the building. I have only been to Rockefeller Center in the winter and across the street to American Girl Doll store of course… It was exciting to see exactly where the Christmas tree goes, but a little weird to see the ice skating rink empty. Shortly nearby was the Godiva store, yummy!!!
After Rockefeller Center we went to MOMA, Museum of Modern Art. I love art, so you will have to bear with me if my information is a bit long winded. In the late 1920s, three progressive and influential patrons of the arts, Miss Lillie P. Bliss, Mrs. Cornelius J. Sullivan, and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., perceived a need to challenge the conservative policies of traditional museums and to establish an institution devoted exclusively to modern art. They along with additional original trustees A. Conger Goodyear, Paul Sachs, Frank Crowninshield and Josephine Boardman Crane created The Museum of Modern Art in 1929. The Museum moved three times into progressively larger temporary quarters, and in 1939 finally opened the doors of the building it still occupies in midtown Manhattan. This museum is multi-departmental with areas devoted to Architecture and Design, Film and Video, and Photography, in addition to Painting and Sculpture, Drawings, and Prints and Illustrated Books. Most of the work presented is early to mid-twentieth century (Blue Guide, P.260-261). Several of the paintings we observed were; Impressionists such as: Seurat with his dot paintings and Van Gogh with his Starry Night painting, my favorite. I could’ve stood before Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night for a very long time. I thought about it and I still can’t pinpoint what it is that draws me in. It is just a feeling, like an aura, I feel blessed, peaceful when I look at it. We saw an example of Cubism with Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Andy Warhol’s Campbell soup cans were an example of Pop art. I liked the room that displayed Monet’s paintings, Water Lilies being one of his more popular works of abstract impressionism. I prefer Monet’s painting titled Agapanthus better. We also saw a few paintings from Mondrian, which were abstract minimalist, with straight geometric lines. These did not call to me like other paintings I saw, sorry Mike! We were able to observe several post WWII NY artists. Their work is eons away from representational art. Sometimes this era of art doesn't overtly represent anything. Which was smart for that time, as Communism and being left winged in 50's was dangerous, so the artists expressed themselves more abstractly. The first painted I noticed was Pollock’s Full Fathom Five. It is a drip painting from household paint with no representation. It appears to be something he created while in a rage or drunken binge. I did not notice this at first, but in the gallery description it points out that an assortment of objects are embedded in the surface, including cigarette butts, nails, thumbtacks, buttons, coins, and a key. I found it very interesting the origin of the paintings title, it was suggested by a neighbor, it comes from Shakespeare’s play The Tempest, in which the character Ariel describes a death by shipwreck: “Full fathom five thy father lies / Of his bones are coral made / Those are pearls that were his eyes.” How that title matches the inner turmoil and destruction I saw when I looked at this painting is remarkable. We also saw de Kooning’s Woman series. I have to say I really did not care for Rauschenberg’s paintings. Yes, they are very representative and tactile, but I could not imagine them in my house. I thought they were quite ugly! Good thing I kept that to myself or MOMA might have tossed me out. Our last exhibit was a Contemporary sound exhibit. There were many different art works displayed involving basic repeating sounds and flashing lights. I understand the premise of experiencing reality in a different way, but I felt with all the overstimulation in the world now, all these lights and sounds only added to that feeling. It almost felt like a testing laboratory for epiliptics! After this, we quickly visited the outside courtyard which was very nice. Overall I enjoyed the museum.
Finally we took a lunch break in Hell's Kitchen at a Thai Restaurant called Yum Yum Bangkok. I never ate Thai food before, it was very good. I enjoyed it. Thank you Mike and Meritta. Hell’s Kitchen is the area from West 34th to West 57th St. In the 19th century this area was home to immigrants, mostly Irish who lived in the city’s worst tenements and worked in the least desirable jobs. The local gangs terrorized the neighborhood so badly that the local policemen would only go out in groups larger than three (Blue Guide, P.226). Hell’s kitchen supposedly received its name from two policeman who were watching a street fight on a hot summer night when one said “This neighborhood is hot as hell” and the other replied “Hell is cool, this here’s Hell’s Kitchen” (Blue Guide, P. 226).
After lunch, we took the 1 train to 110th St., Cathedral Parkway which is Morningside Heights in order to walk to Harlem. We meet our guide Jim in front of the Hungarian Pastry Shop on Amsterdam Ave.. The owner Phil was supporting an artist named Yani. She had made small angel paintings on stock card and we hung the angel cards on strings, strung across the sidewalk. We also got to keep one for ourselves. They were very pretty. We crossed the street to The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. A Beautiful grand gothic church. Over one hundred years later the original architectural plans for the church have still not been completed (Blue Guide, P. 419-420). It is still a massive and worldly looking church. Twice the width of Westminster Abbey (Blue Guide, P. 419). In the courtyard was a sculpture by Greg Wyatt representing childhood fairy tales. There was also a sculpture of Noah’s Ark, which I really liked. It was a very whimsical courtyard. The church bells went off while we were there, one of my favorite sounds.
We passed through Columbia University, quite an impressive university. Colombia was originally founded as a gentlemen’s college in the early 18th century. It is now co-ed and one of the oldest, wealthiest and most respected North American University (Blue Guide, P.427). While we were there, Mike, Meritta and Jim gave us a verbal quiz on NYC to win a special bracelet. I came close, but no cigar. We walked over Amsterdam Ave via a bridge that was actually like a courtyard on top. There were Columbia University students having a get together and promoting there various clubs hanging out there. The bridge led us to Morningside Dr., where we were at the top of Morningside Park (120th St.). Thankfully we went down the long winding stairs, 157 of them and not up them. Normally we would have to walk up them, but our schedule was opposite today! This suited me just fine, as I was not feeling well today because of a nasty cold, thanks to my kids, the little petri dishes they are! We walked to Morningside Ave continuing to Frederick Douglas Blvd. I was surprised at the appearance of Harlem; it definitely was not what I expected. It obviously is undergoing gentrification as evidenced by the wine bar and lounges I saw, it was open and roomy with lots of shops and families with baby strollers. In some areas I could see evidence of an older rundown building that has not been renovated yet. I would guess that at one time this is how the whole area appeared. We learned that in the 1920’s Harlem was the second largest Jewish community in the country. With the demolition of the old Penn Station displacing the black community, the black population of Harlem soared from approximately 83,000 to 204,000. In the 1920's, the area gave birth to the Harlem Renaissance. Writers, artists and intellectuals traveled to Harlem, bringing a wealth of black literature, art, music and political thinking. The depression devastated Harlem, revealing the poverty underneath (Blue Guide, P.438). We walked up to St Nicholas Avenue, the oldest road in the city. At the intersection there is a powerful sculpture of Harriet Tubman, titled Swing Low: Harriet Tubman Memorial. She was renowned for being one of the most successful people in getting blacks up from the south into the north and onto Canada through the Underground Railroad. I was so excited to see the Apollo, a famous music hall opened in 1913, known for it’s African American performers. We weren’t able to have a tour as there was something else going on there. We learned about the Tree of Life and how performers have to rub it for good luck before performing. There is a piece of the original tree on stage as the tree itself died. It was neat to see the plaques on the floor outside with famous performers names written including Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Shortly after as we were continuing our tour it started to rain, we were almost done so Mike cut us lose right next to the subway. I took the 3 train back to Penn. I was so excited to catch an earlier train and jump into bed with some NyQuil, until someone got the bright idea of jumping in between the train cars onto the little connecting walkway because the doors had already closed, but he missed and fell. He didn’t look hurt, but the police came and my early train wound up being a half hour late!
Lower Manhattan and Captivating Chelsea
Today's weather is a bit temperamental. The skies look like there going to open up. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, what will be, will be! We started out today by taking the 2 train to Park Place in the Financial District. I have never been to this area so, I'm looking forward to seeing what's here. We first visited City Hall and after clearing security we had a guided tour given by Deirdre. Starting to rain now, oh well! Deirdre gave us information on the background of City Hall. We learned that the building itself is positioned to face the original view of the city and when the city expanded it went around City Hall. Deirdre spoke about the founding of New Amsterdam in the early 1600's and also about the original City Hall which was a tavern facing the East River in 1653. The current City Hall is a grand, beautiful building in Federal style, with enormous tall windows and architectural French detailed styling. Two men, Joseph Mangin a French immigrant and John McComb Jr a native New Yorker won a prize of $350 for the design of the building (Blue Guide, P.84). The inside has an elegant double split staircase called the floating staircase, which is under a domed ceiling. There is a bronze statue of George Washington in the main area. We walked up the staircase and were able to visit two rooms. The Governors room which houses George Washington's desk and many portraits of men relevant to NYC history and the City Council Chambers. In the City Council Chambers the ceiling has four oval plaques bearing quotes from; Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington and Grant. City Hall has only been opened twice to the public, once in 1865 for a viewing of Abraham Lincoln on his way to burial and again in 1885 for Ulysses S. Grant. From the front steps outside I could see the Chrysler building. This time worthy Gothic building is soon to celebrate it's 100th anniversary.
After our tour we walked down Broadway. We stopped at St. Paul's Chapel, belonging to Trinity Church. Dating from 1764 it is the oldest public building still in use and Manhattan's only remaining colonial church. It survived the fire of 1776, thanks to a bucket brigade bringing water from the Hudson (Blue Guide, P. 77). George Washington attended services here and his pew remains here. That was pretty neat to see. The back of St. Paul's leads out to a cemetery and also faces where the Twin Towers were. St. Paul's was a rest area for 9/11 workers and has since become a memorial. It was very emotional inside the chapel and brought back many memories of my husband and his friend's leaving to go into work for the fire and police department early that morning without being called in. I can not explain the feeling of watching your other half walk out the door and knowing your last glimpse could be the last forever. We were lucky but many of his friends were not and didn't go home that day. He has not come down to this area since and I don't know if he ever will.
Going to see the 9/11 memorial was difficult, but I was heartened to see the respectful tribute presented. The two reflecting pools were so powerful and serene at the same time. The names etched all around the perimeter added such a personal touch. I saw a group of people surrounding a tree and a man speaking so I walked over. It turns out this tree, a callery pear is the only surviving tree after the attack. It only had 8 feet out of an original 35 feet left to it at the time, but survived and has since grown back to a height of 30 feet. This tree is estimated to be 50-55 years old as it was planted when the original Twin Towers were being built. What makes it even more amazing is that this type of tree's average life span is only 40 years. It is called the Survivor Tree. I was also able to see the building of One World Trade Center.
We briefly stopped at Trinity Church. I stood in the same spot as Queen Elizabeth, not many people can say that! I loved the doors to this church, they are art work and biblical stories in themselves. They were modeled after Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous bronze doors of the baptistery of the cathedral in Florence (Blue Guide, P. 65).
Unfortunately we were not able to go into Federal Hall as it was closed because of the government shutdown. We walked by the NY Stock Exchange. I learned that the stock exchange was started by Charles Dow selling railroad stock. I never knew that. The NY Stock Exchange is the world's largest exchange in terms of dollar value, making NY a preeminent city in the capitalist world (Blue Guide, P.68). It was exciting to see where all the action takes place! I finally got to see the bull!! We walked through Bowling Green park which was the scene of George Washington's troops tearing down a statue of King George III on July 9, 1776 after the reading of the Declaration of Independence (Blue Guide, P. 44). Bowling Green Park was the city's first park (Blue Guide, P.44). The Bowling Green subway stop entrance was very fancy. We also were unable to go inside the National Museum of the American Indian, it was also closed. The museum is housed within the US Custom House. I finally got to see and walk through Battery Park. We learned that its name came from the battery of cannons that were set up to ward off water invasions from the British. I saw the original WTC globe that is temporarily sitting in the park until it is decided where to put it. So sad to see it's crushed, broken appearance. We had a great view of the water and the Statue of Liberty. Very picturesque park with lovely old trees.
Subway time finally! We took the one train and transferred to the two from Rector St to 14th St to get to Chelsea Market. Chelsea Market is housed in the former Nabisco factory (Blue Guide, P. 186). The Meatpacking District used to be warehouses and slaughterhouses only, home to druggies and prostitutes in the 70's. Now the area is gentrified with many upscale shops and restaurants, many clubs also houses many clubs and newer beer gardens (Blue Guide, P.185). We went to Chelsea Market for lunch. What a neat place! Reminded me of South Street Seaport. Although there was only one restroom area and a tremendous line! Maureen and i ate lunch at a delicious place called the Green Table. Our one splurge this class, but it was worth it! Yummy!!
After lunch we walked on the High Line. The High Line is an abandoned elevated freight line which has been turned into an elevated garden walkway. The last train ran in 1980 and because of demolition costs the line sat there and rusted. In the late 1990's, a local advocacy group defeated proposals for demolition and suggested a park. This was a great idea! Being an avid gardener I can appreciate what has been done to the line. So creative the trees and plants among the railroad ties. There was plenty of places to sit and relax, a water display amongst the ties and the view was great along the Hudson River. The High Line attracts many tourists, but it is also frequented by many locals and is a great alternative to walking on the street.
To end our day we went gallery hopping to see some unusual art, definitely not mainstream. It was interesting to see what else is out there. Artistic ideas have to come from somewhere. I saw a Getty gas station that had been converted into a pseudo sheep pasture. After the galleries Maureen and I walked back along the High-Line and then continued onto Penn Station.
Immigrant New York (Lower Eastside, The Bowery, Little Italy, and Chinatown)
Wow! Today is our last class, I can't believe how fast it went! The sun is shining and the skies are clear. I took my usual 9:04 train to Penn. Meet up with my group for the last time. We took the F train to Delancey on the Lower East Side. Mike reviewed the history of immigration in the Lower East Side with us. We talked about the Irish and German immigrants coming in the 1850's, then the Jewish immigrants in the 1860's, the Italian and Chinese in the 1880's. In the 1900's the lower east side was the most densely populated area in the world. We also learned that currently there are immigrants arriving from Latin America and the Caribbean. These current immigrants are coming to western Nassau because they can not afford to live here, it has become to expensive. At one time the Lower East Side was an extremely dirty place with constant outbreaks of diseases. There was human and food waste on the streets. There was also 25,000 pushcarts selling food. Mayor Laguardia initiated the Essex Markets in an attempt to house the food carts. We were able to walk around the Essex Market for a few minutes. It was very crowded with vendors.
Next we walked towards the Williamsburg Bridge. The purpose of the building of this bridge, was to relieve the density of the Lower East Side. The goal of many immigrants was to get out of this area as quickly as possible. The Williamsburg Bridge earned the nickname the Jews highway. We meet up with one of our tour guides Jim again. Our tour started with a brief stop at a well known candy store, the Economy Candy Store. This store was packed floor to ceiling with all kinds of candy, old fashioned novelty and current. I of course indulged and bought a Zagnut bar for myself and some candy for my kids. Jim spoke about the history of Tenements. The first Tenement building was in NYC east 12 th St in 1833. In 1916 a fire stairwell became mandatory, if a building was unable to comply it had to have fire escapes. Now I know that when I see a building with fire escapes it was built before 1916. I always wondered about that. On our walk to the Bialystoker Synagogue, we saw some buildings which are the Projects. These are housing that were built for the poor. In the 60's and 70's they were breeding ground for crime. The density of poor was too much. Now the city is building 3 family houses in the Bronx for the poor, mixed in with the middle class. This is the new trend for NYC housing projects.
We stopped in front of the Bialystoker Synagogue. Named such because the Jewish population here are from Bialystoker Russia. Built in 1826 it was originally an Episcopal Methodist church which was then converted to a synagogue. We passed by a Mikveh house, which is where a woman goes to be purified before marriage with ritual baths once a month.
We stopped in front of the Bialystoker Synagogue. Named such because the Jewish population here are from Bialystoker Russia. Built in 1826 it was originally an Episcopal Methodist church which was then converted to a synagogue. We passed by a Mikveh house, which is where a woman goes to be purified before marriage with ritual baths once a month.
We passed the Henry Street Settlement house founded in 1893. Lillian Wald was one of the founders, she also started public health nursing and nursing schools in universities. Henry Street Settlement still provides social services, arts and health care programs.
We continued on to Chinatown. I was a little disappointed to see Chinatown. The area was dirty and smelt bad. Cars were parked up on the curbs and I saw many shop owners pouring pots into the streets. Chinatown is expanding eastward into the Lower East Side and northward into Little Italy (Blue Guide, P.107). We were cut loose and allowed to shop and look around for a bit. maureen and I went to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I was saving my appetite for lunch, so I sampled hers. It was very good green tea ice cream. They had a maple bacon flavor ice cream there, maybe next time!
We all meet up for lunch at Congee Village. I was happy to see it looked clean. It was the best Chinese food I've had. I would definitely eat there again.
We continued on to Chinatown. I was a little disappointed to see Chinatown. The area was dirty and smelt bad. Cars were parked up on the curbs and I saw many shop owners pouring pots into the streets. Chinatown is expanding eastward into the Lower East Side and northward into Little Italy (Blue Guide, P.107). We were cut loose and allowed to shop and look around for a bit. maureen and I went to the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I was saving my appetite for lunch, so I sampled hers. It was very good green tea ice cream. They had a maple bacon flavor ice cream there, maybe next time!
We all meet up for lunch at Congee Village. I was happy to see it looked clean. It was the best Chinese food I've had. I would definitely eat there again.
After lunch we went to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Tenements were built to exploit all available space and maximize the return for the landlord,were one of the horrors of immigrant life (Blue Guide, P.122). First we went to a classroom with our instructor Darrell and learned about the average immigrants journey to NYC and there immigration process through Ellis Island. An average ship traveled for 3 weeks to get to Ellis Island. The immigrants were in the bottom of the ship with the livestock. They ate little and were unable to wash. When they got to Ellis Island they had to go through line inspection. Inspectors used a Button hook to check for pink eye, but they used the same one on everyone without washing it! If someone didn't pass inspection they had to stay there in the hospital, but there families had to leave them there. After inspection they would take a Ferry boat that would drop them off at the tip of Manhattan. Settlement houses had temporary lodging, helped people find jobs, living quarters and gave classes such as English class. Darrell was very entertaining, had a lot of energy and passion for his work. Next we went on a living history tour. It was a tour based on an immigrant families life in 1916. We actually went into a real tenement that had been preserved in its original condition. It was located at 97 Orchard St. It had 5 floors, 4 apartments on each floor, each apartment had 3 small rooms and there were only 2 toilets on each floor. A costume interpreter played a 14 yr old girl named Victoria Confino, a cephardic Jew. Our role was to be an immigrant family from Russia. Eastern European Jewish shoemakers who spoke Yiddish. We were not allowed to take pictures though to preserve the apartment. The building was incredible. It felt like it was alive with memories. I wondered how many hands touched the walls in the hallway we entered in through. Everything was original, the floor tiles, burlap on the walls, the lights. It was so narrow and dark. Inside the apartment we meet Victoria. She was great! She played the part so well, answered all of our questions like she actually lived it. The apartment was so small, they slept on the floors and there was only 2 windows on one wall. For light they had to put a quarter in the gas machine to power the gas lights. To bathe they had to go to the public bath house and pay. It was a walk back in time. Amazing to see how people lived and what they did to survive. I really enjoyed this museum and would definitely recommend it. At the end of our tour, it was time to say good-bye. Mike said Meritta would cry, I think I did see a tear :)!
Post Impressions of New York
Taking this class was a life changing journey. It was an adventure of a lifetime for me. I have seen, learned and done more in NYC than I have in my entire life. I have been to places that I never knew existed. NYC has so much more to offer than what I originally thought. Once I thought it was a place for a quick weekend stop for "touristy" activities. I have come to appreciate the broad spectrum of history, food and events offered in this magnificent city. I loved all the history and architecture afforded throughout all five boroughs. I am so much more comfortable taking the LIRR by myself and getting on a subway. I will definitely be sharing my experiences with my family and friends and will make it a point to come to NYC to revisit some of the places we went and also to visit new places.
Taking this class was a life changing journey. It was an adventure of a lifetime for me. I have seen, learned and done more in NYC than I have in my entire life. I have been to places that I never knew existed. NYC has so much more to offer than what I originally thought. Once I thought it was a place for a quick weekend stop for "touristy" activities. I have come to appreciate the broad spectrum of history, food and events offered in this magnificent city. I loved all the history and architecture afforded throughout all five boroughs. I am so much more comfortable taking the LIRR by myself and getting on a subway. I will definitely be sharing my experiences with my family and friends and will make it a point to come to NYC to revisit some of the places we went and also to visit new places.